Achieving the perfect hologram free finish.

[Downgear]

I have been detailing for a long time and have gained quite a bit of experience with the makita rotary. The products I use have changed drastically over the years and I am now hooked on the menzerna lineup. I have mastered my wash technique and only need to do an EXTREMELY light polish once a year to clean up some very light swirls on my soft Berina Black paint. (car is very dust in pic)

I have noticed in the past that I have never been able to finish the car completely hologram free and this year I would like to master my technique and was hoping for some advice for the following questions:



1. Is menzerna 85rd or final polish II (87mc) the lighter polish? I have both but want the absolute lightest for this extremely soft paint that does not need much cutting power. Many discussions seem to exist on which is actually the lighter polish.



2. Should I use a porter cable instead of the rotary to help avoid holograms/buffertrails?







I have come to realize some of my mistakes in the past and I plan to make the following adjustments this year:



- I plan to use 5 black LC pads instead of the one that I would use for the whole car previously during the polish.

- Apply only 4 pea size dots on the pad and not tons of polish everywhere like i used to.

- work in 2'x2' sections not the half the hood or an entire door at a time.

- I plan to use the THE ZENITH PLATEAU technique as shown below and just work the polish in until its 100% transparent like vegetable oil. I used to just polish at the same speed the whole time.

Any additional advice or recommendations would be greatly welcomed, I just really want to get this right. I will be sure to post up many pics before after and during the process this weekend! Thanks guys!!

 

[Scottwax]

3M Ultrafina and a blue Ultrafina pad. Spread at 1000 rpms, work in using enough pressure to lightly compress the pad for a few passes at 1800 rpms, down to 1000 rpms and reduced pressure. Unless you try to remove deep holograms, UF using this method is as goof proof as it gets.

 

[scary bill]

3M Ultrafina and a blue Ultrafina pad. Spread at 1000 rpms, work in using enough pressure to lightly compress the pad for a few passes at 1800 rpms, down to 1000 rpms and reduced pressure. Unless you try to remove deep holograms, UF using this method is as goof proof as it gets.

+1 Scottwax



If that doesn't work for some reason I would get out the PC, 3m UF works fine using a PC.

 

[Downgear]

The more I read about 85RD and final polish II the more confused I get. I know final polish II is an older type of polish and works differently then then 85RD. I just want the lightest polish possible because the imperfections are so minimal and my paint is so soft!

 

[scary bill]

I have hear that FPII get really great results on softer clears. SuperBee swears by it. 85rd is a ceramiclear polish that is similar to FPII, it would be for harder clear coats.



I think in your case FPII is what you are looking for. If you do a little searching on FPII by rotary you will probably get some useful tips on how to get the most out of the process.